Occupational therapists and physical therapists are engaged in assessing and rehabilitating patients who have injuries which threaten their ability to continue working at prior occupations involving performance of specific physical tasks. In addition, these health care professionals are increasingly being called upon to evaluate the job task related skill and strength level of job applicants. It has been determined that, in both of these cases, better results are achieved when the tools employed and the exercise apparatus utilized simulate the real-world job task. In this way, the actual muscle groups and joints involved in the job task are utilized in performing the simulated task and measurement of their capability is achieved.
Engalitcheff U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,337,050, 4,471,957, and 4,768,783 describe prior art apparatus and methods for performing exercise tasks using tools that simulate the tools used in various job tasks. Exercise apparatus disclosed in these patents is limited in its capability to simulate the real-world forces exerted on the tool. Baltimore Therapeutic Equipment Company (BTE) of Baltimore, Md., sells a work hardening station of the general type disclosed in the Engalitcheff patents. The apparatus consists of an actuator head mounted on a portable stand with a separate computer console for control and data acquisition. The actuator is limited to providing a selectable level of constant resisting torque to the shaft to which the work simulating tool is attached. The actuator head mounting arrangement limits the possible positions and orientations of the tools. The torque handling capability of the BTE system is limited to about sixty foot pounds in static and dynamic testing and this is far below the torque that strong persons can apply with some tools having a large lever arm. In addition the torque resolution of the BTE apparatus is limited to a few inch/lbs. This resolution is considered inadequate for testing with a number of low torque tools.
Biodex Corporation of Shirley, N.Y., has in the past offered a variety of work simulation attachments as accessories to its multijoint testing and rehabilitation equipment based on an active servo motor dynamometer system. In the Biodex system, positioning flexibility of the dynamometer power head is limited and thus limits the patient to tool positioning relative to real world work tasks. Exercise modes do not include isotonic or torque control modes required to simulate accurately the resisting torque in work tasks. The output shaft on the power head is limited to less than a full rotation and precludes simulation of a large number of work tasks that involve multiple rotations of a tool. Data acquisition and reporting capabilities are also limited. No exercise mode programming for specific work simulating exercise tasks is provided.
The Loss Prevention Center of the Liberty Mutual Insurance Group has developed a prototype work hardening station that is being used in a clinic in Boston, Mass. The actuator in this system is based on a braking system as in the BTE unit so no active exercise modes are possible. In addition the Liberty Mutual system has limited torque handling and measurement capability.
None of the prior art systems offer flexible, easy to use computer programming interfaces for the therapist to use in setting up exercise tasks, selecting appropriate motions and modes, and entering appropriate parameters. Accordingly it should be apparent that there is considerable room for improvement in work task simulating exercise and diagnostic apparatus.